Interval Training at Any Age

Interval training alternates short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery intervals.

Research indicates that interval workouts provide cardiometabolic benefits through improved carbohydrate (glucose) metabolism. Interval workouts, which typically last under 30 minutes, are an excellent way to use time efficiently to facilitate gains in levels of cardio fitness and improve body composition. In addition, interval workouts can help to improve functional abilities and performance through increased endurance, power and stamina. 

The duration of an interval workout is often dependent on the fitness level of the participants and the intensity of the workout. Interval workouts can range anywhere from 4 minutes to 30 minutes or longer.

The most typical form of interval workouts is seen with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). However, due to orthopedic injuries and conditions, as well as other physical stressors, HIIT may not be the most appropriate form of interval training for your older adult or less fit clients.

A more appropriate form of interval training for your deconditioned and/or clients over the age of 50 may be mid-intensity interval training (MIIT). Research has shown that MIIT provides the same type of cardiometabolic benefits as HIIT without the added orthopedic and other physical stresses that often present during a HIIT workout.

During HIIT workouts, the goal is to work at an intensity which gets the heart rate between 80-90% of max heart rate during the work phase with the heart rate lowering to 60% or lower during the rest phase.  When implementing MIIT with your older or less conditioned clients, the goal during the work phase is to get the heart rate to 60-80% of maximum heart rate with the heart rate lowering to 50% or lower during the rest phase.

There is no definitive formula for interval training. It will be dependent on the fitness level of your client as well as functional levels, which include coordination, balance, agility, speed and power. A common formula is the 2:1 ratio of exercise (work) to recovery (rest). An example of 2:1 ratio would be intervals of 30 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest.

If you are incorporating interval training into programming for deconditioned or older clients, you may elect to use rate of perceived exertion (RPE) rather than a heart rate monitor. RPE allows individuals to self-monitor and work at their own pace.

RPE is based on a scale of zero to 10, with zero being very easy and 10 relating to working harder than thought possible. In relation to heart rate percentage, zero will correspond to resting heart rate and 10 will correspond to 100 percent of maximum heart rate.

Therefore, during MIIT workouts, coach your clients to work at a 6-8 during the work phase and recover to a 5 or lower during the rest phase. If using RPE during HIIT workouts, coach your clients to work at an 8-9 during the work phase and recover to a 6 or lower during the rest phase.

For more detailed information on interval training, FiTOUR®’s Advanced Boot Camp course takes an in-depth look into the science of interval training. In addition, FiTOUR®’s Primary and Advanced Active Aging courses provide exercise science for improving functional levels for clients over the age of 50 and also includes information on how to incorporate MIIT into programming. www.fitour.com

A certified fitness trainer for over 30 years, Dolly Stokes has been a FiTOUR® ProTrainer since 2002.  She is a past IDEA presenter and has authored many FiTOUR® courses.